Method and means for ventilating vehicular tunnels



PwnaJune 6,1922@ 1. M. SEYMOUR. METHOD AND MEANS FOR VENIILATING VEHICULAR TUNNELS.

I APPLICATION FILED IAN. 20,1921. 1,418,980.

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JAMES M.. SEYMOUR, F NEWARK, NEW' J'IERSEY.y

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To oZZ whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES M. SiiriiioUR, a

i citizen of the United States, residingat Newark, in the county of Esser: and Stateof New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods yand Means for Ventilating Vehicular. rlunnels'; and I dohereby declare the 'ollowingto be a full, cleafr-,.and exact description of theinvention, f such as will enable others slrilledfinithe art to which it appertains. to makel and 4use the n same,reference being had tothe accompanyingv drawings, and to characters yof referencek marlred thereon, which form a part4 of this specification.

The presentinvention relates, generally,

to a novel'meth'od and means for ventilats.

ing subterranean and submarinetunnelsj and the invention has. reference,- vmore par-Il ticular-ly, to a novel inethodfand arrange-f ment of structure 1for Ventilating vehicular tunnels in which motor vehicles/'are per-l niitted to travel;

The present:` invention has orits'piincipal objects, first, to provider-a novel method of Ventilating vehicular tunnels, whereby a large volume of air 'at vcomparatively low pressure can bemoved through the tunnel drift at a comparatively low cost,`instead of employinga small volume of air delivered at. high pressure requiring expensiveconstruc tion of special ducts and Ventilating .pas sages, and ynecessitating a high expense both as to installation and upkeep. Furthermore, the'present inventionprovides a method of 'Ventilating whereby aflarge yvolume or current of air is delivered to and moved through. the tunnel at higher speed than and in they vention, from the construction standpointgto. provide .a very simple and comparatively` cheap tunnelY construction, eliminatingmhe necessity of especially arranged air `channels rvoriducts, so that comparatively the entirel capacity of thetunnel, notoccupied bythe vehicles moving Atherethrough may be utilized astlie air conduit. Such-construction eliminatingoross currents and eddiesinthey `air,str eani,,andl lossofpvelocity of the air Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 20, 1921;

Patented J une 6,' 1922.

seriaino. 438,598:`

current through compelling the same to traverse the highway. of the tunnel :laterallyl fiomanf air delivery duct to an air discharge duct.` And, furthermore,.theiinvention en-H i tails a comparatively simple structural com# bination of lair moving and controlling vele.-

inents,'whioh` are comparatively cheap as to 1 f installation, and which, in operation reduce to a minimumtheiXed charge'or power ref quiredto operate the samerthusaifording at `this time more particularly enumerated,

will be clearly understoodgfromthe follow;A

ingdetailed description of thesame..

Nith thevariousobjects of the invention in view. the sameconsists, primarily, in vthe 2 novel method of ventilating` a vehiculartunnel, fas well as in the novel structuralcom# binations by means of. wh may best beemployed.

The invention ris clearly illustrated v in the i acompanying drawings, in which :-V f

.Figure l isa longitudinal vertical-section adapted tocarry out thel novel method of ventilation involveddn the .present invention; rand Figure 2 isa detail horizontal sec`` tion through an: entrance portion off said tunnel so equipped and. constructed;

Similar charaotersoig'l reference are einf ployed in the above described views, `to indicate Icorresponding parts; f

Referringnow to said drawings, the ,reiference character f1 indicates la *suitablyv constructed tunnel providing'a continuous inte` rior passage or lway 2 from its entrance to itsk discharge end; They referencecharacter '3 indicates they wayy `leading to the 4entrance portal or entrance end .4 of' said tunnel.`

.ventilatingvmeans requiring: but low 4costi:

. foruplreepk p i 1 Other objects ofthe'presentinventiomnot y ich' said method.

sof` ot a vehicular tunnel provided with airde-:iy livery and control meansembodying-the principles ot the present invention; and

Constructediand locatedfintermediate said i way 3 and said entrance portalor end 4 of the tunnel .-1 areoneormore locks,` y n illustration` of myxinveiition` shown 'in :the accompanyingv idr'awilngsil yhave/chosen to providel three suchl loclrsinl parallel lorfy side by side relation, to wit, the locks, 5, 6 and 7.

EachV lock is provided witha pail of suitably constructed and operated lock doors or gates 8 kat theirireceiving for-*entrance ends, andiwith a pair of 'similari lock 1 do'ors or-l gates .-9 atntheirzdiscliarge orexit'ends. ff It. isi 1,10

In. the f desirable, in practice, that each lock be long enough to accommodate at one time from six to eight motor vehicles, although, of course, it will be clearly understood that the same may be modified in such particular to suit the requirements of the particular' tunnel location.

Suitably located and housed above the tunnel entrance and its locks are a plurality of fresh air impelling mechanisms of any desired type, such, iter example, as the rotary` fans l0 shown in the drawings; These air impelling mechanisms are connected through suitablyy disposed air delivery conduits or passages lll with the entrance portal or end d of the :tunnel at a point somewhat beyond the inner or discharge ends of the locks 5, 6 and?. Suitable shut-ofi' valves or` gates 12 with the required operating mechanism may be providedin connection with each air delivery conduit, or passage, whereby the volume of air delivered may be either variously controlled or entirely cutfott if desired.

Thev method of Ventilating a vehicular tunnel, particularly designed to lac commo-` date motor vehicular traliic, and which may put in elieetby the above describedstr'ucture, consists in delivering into the entrance.

end 'of 'the' tunneland impelling therethrough to the exit endv thereof,or other suitable venting points, a large volume of air at comparatively low pressure, said air being caused to travel through the tunnel passage or .way with or-in the ldirection `oi? traffic movement, and at velocity in excess of or greater than the permitted speed of vehicles moving therethrough, thus utilizing practically the entire area of the tunnel as a fresh air conduit. To assure proper and continuous directional flow of the air stream thus permitted, checks against backward esj cape of air from or through the vehicular entrances to the tunnel are provided, of such a nature that comparatively rapid 'access to the tunnel interior by vehicles may be attained without in any way interrupting or disturbing the directional flow of the air,

or diminishing the desired volume of the air stream. By virtue of such method, a comparatively large volume of air at low pressure may be moved at desired velocity through the tunnel interior, with a relativelysmall expense for power. Since the air is impelled through the tunnel, in the` direction of traiiic and in company with the vehicles moving through the tunnel, said vehicles will `not impede the flow of air, but will really aid in maintaining said flow, andwill tend to prevent lagging of the air stream. f

In cases where a single lock is employed the inner lock gates 9 at the discharge end ot the lock are'closed against backwardY and outwardlow of air tending to check and interfere withthe continuous vflow of air through the tunnel, and the outer loclr gates 8 are opened, so that vehicles may be driven into the lock. When the lock is illed with vehicles, or it is otherwise deemed advisable to permit the passage of vehicles from the lock into the tunnel, the outer lock gates 8 are closed, and the inner lock gates 9 are` opened, so that the lock is thrown into communication with the tunnel way 2, and the vehicles are free to enter. The lock being Opened to communication with the tunnel,` the outer lock doors 8 serve to prevent backward escape of the Ventilating air under such conditions. y y

In cases where two or more locks are employed, as shown in the drawings, the locks are manipulated successively to open and close thesame to the entrance and exit of vehicles, so that while the group of cars i arrangement of the parts and devices employed, `without departing from the general` scope and principles of the said invention, hence, I do not limit myselfto the exact arrangement and relations or construction of parts as above described, or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 'Y

I claim f l. A method of ventilating vehicular tunnels, comprising the impulsion of a large volume of air through the tunnel way from the entrance to the exit thereof, and locking said' air against backward escapefrom the tunnel 'entrance while-vehicles are being ad mitted for entrance into said tunnel.

2. A method of ventilating vehicular tunnels, comprising the delivery of a large volume oit' air into lthe tunnel entrance,im peiling said air through the `tunnel way in the direction of trahie movement for discharge at or near the exit end of the tunnel, and locking said air against backwardescape from the tunnel entrance while vehicles arebeing admitted for entrance into said tunnel.

3. A method of ventilating vehicular tunnels, comprising the delivery vof aA large volume of air at low pressure into the tunnel entrance, impelling said air through the tunnel way in the direction oftraiiic movement and at a velocity in excess of the permitted air at or near the tunnel eXit, and locking said air against backwardescape Vfrom the' ,4

tunnel entrance while vehicles are being admitted for entrance into .said-tunnel;

4;. The combination with a vehicular tunnel of means for delivering to and continuously moving air through said tunnel from its entrance to its exit end, and an air lock at the tunnel entrance providing means for admitting vehicles to said tunnel while preventing backward and outward escape of air from said tunnel entrance.

5. T he combination with a vehicular tunnel of air moving machinery, a conduit for delivering air from said air moving machinery into the entrance of Said tunnel for continuous movement through the tunnel way from its entrance `to its exit end, and an air lock rearward 'of the discharge end of said' delivery conduit and adapted to communicate with said tunnel entrance providing means for admitting vehicles to said tunnel while preventing backward and outward escape of air from said tunnell entrance.

6. The combination with a vehicular tunnel of air moving machinery, a conduit for delivering air from said air moving machinery into the entrance of said tunnel `for continuous movement therethrough toward the eXit end of the Same, and an air lock at said tunnel entrance having inner and outer lock doors.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of January, 1921.

JAMES M. SEYMOUR.

lVitnesses:

GEORGE D. RICHARDS, EVA E. DnsoH. 

